- Joleon Lescott left ‘surprised’ after Alexander-Arnold left out of squad
- Former Liverpool player has played just once under Thomas Tuchel
- His World Cup aspirations are up in the air
Former Liverpool player Trent Alexander-Arnold wasn’t involved in England’s recent friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. Thomas Tuchel took a 35-man squad for the games, but the Real Madrid fullback avoided the call-up.
Speaking on In The Mixer, Ex-England assistant Joleon Lescott was shocked to not see the 27-year-old included in the squad.
He said, “The Trent one surprised me. It surprised me more because of the injuries to others.”
He continued.
“I just know if you’re playing for Real Madrid, you warrant being in the top four or five in your position in the world. That’s the thing for me.”
There are questions whether he will be included in the World Cup squad, as the Three Lions look for international glory for the first time in 60 years.
Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool departure
The right-back’s relationship at the club soured towards the end, with supporters at Anfield not seeing eye-to-eye with his decision to leave.
He signed with Real Madrid ahead of last summer’s Club World Cup, which was a poor showing from the 15-time Champions League winners.
Things haven’t gone as the English defender might have suspected, with injury issues building and being out of favour under Xabi Alonso.
He has picked up more minutes as former Reds defender Alvaro Arbeloa was named the new manager, but he is still facing serious competition from Dani Carvajal.
Although Lescott was surprised not to see Alexander-Arnold selected in the international break, he believes this may come down to having a greater understanding ahead of the summer.
“England aren’t going to have to rely on Trent’s offensive ability the same way Liverpool did to win. That isn’t going to be the outcome (at the World Cup).”
The 43-year-old continued.
“I think it’s less likely to be like that later in the competition because the early teams are going to sit deeper than when you get to the latter stages.”
In the friendlies, Tuchel used Newcastle’s Tino Livramento and Arsenal’s Ben White as his right-back options.
Injury issues have affected the Germans’ possible selections ahead of the matches, and Lescott claims there is a right back who would have kept the 27-year-old out of the team regardless.
“If Reece James is fit, I don’t think there’s an argument really. I think he’s the most well-rounded right back. But in regards to Trent, like I say, I don’t think the game’s going to require changing the right back.”
Alexander-Arnold’s national team dilemma
Since breaking through under Jurgen Klopp in the 2017/18 campaign, the 27-year-old has never had the same relationship with the national team as he has with club football.
At 27, he hasn’t had much of an impact on major tournaments, with just one appearance in the 2018 World Cup, and a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the Euros in 2021.
He continued to be out of favour to James, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier throughout Gareth Southgate’s reign, until the summer of 2024, but it was a different environment.
Instead of featuring in his regular position, he was moved into midfield, where he was inconsistent and failed to make an impact while playing.
Since Tuchel arrived, he has made just one appearance, a substitute cameo against Andorra last June, which all but confirms he isn’t in the conversation for this summer’s squad.
This could be his last chance to be a starter for England at a World Cup, with him turning 31 ahead of the next one.
With injury issues for himself and fierce competition for places, Alexander-Arnold’s World Cup dream could slip away before the squad even lands in North America.
